Meet Mike Schibel | Host, Travel With Meaning Podcast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Schibel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The AHA moment for me came after returning home to LA from Bali on a Summer 2016 trip. It wasn’t so much a process for starting a business, but a desire and need to share travel stories. I called my friend Matthew from Late Sunday Afternoon in Venice right away and begged him to let me host a Travel Talk event at his space. My idea was to invite two speakers to share meaningful travel stories. Notable local yoga teacher, Lauren Eneckstrom, and Frank Castro an adventure travel tour operator who grew up on the Westside of LA.

The format for the first show needed a little tweaking but the engagement and energy from guests listening to their travel stories were incredible. I knew then I had to develop the idea and continue buliding live events. I hosted the second live event a month later and the third the following month. Since then I have hosted twenty-six Travel Talk Live events in various parts of LA. From co-living spaces in Venice Beach to hostels, and co-working spaces, to upscale hotels in Santa Monica. I even hosted talks at galleries in the Art District, tech start-up offices in Hollywood, and luxury hotels in Beverly Hills.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
After leaving my career in the entertainment industry in 2011 I bought a one-way ticket and started to travel the world. As a solo traveler, I would ask random people the same three questions on video. What inspires you? What are you grateful for? What Does Travel Mean To You? As any traveler knows random people can become friends, many did and still are today.

I learned so much from these conversations and felt the most alive I had in years in sharing stories with people on the road. When I returned home to Los Angeles I worked a bunch of random jobs and was not happy. I missed the connection with other travelers.

I took action and launched a short-lived Travel With Meaning yoga and wellness retreat business. I liked the idea of yoga and wellness but found myself enjoying talking to other travelers more than yoga.

This is when I started hosting Travel Talk live events as fireside chat conversations interviewing notable guests about their meaningful travel experiences. These talks started out in Venice Beach and Santa Monica. I invited guests from the travel industry, business leaders, media, and like-minded travelers to hear these inspiring stories, and have a bit of networking with hosted food and drinks. It started with a few people attending and grew to well over one hundred plus people before the pandemic.

Something magical was happening at our gatherings and I recognized two things when authentic meaningful travel stories are shared; 1) For the person sharing the story, perhaps they haven’t thought of this experience in years or the share invokes a memory of an epic adventure that they had never told anyone else publicly. The nostalgia from that experience from the guest can also resonate with the listener. 2) For those of us listening to the travel story we can either relate to the story by thinking of our own experience or we want to have a similar adventure. Definitely fun vibes!

The Travel With Meaning Podcast was launched from the success of the Travel Talk Live events interviewing extraordinary people who you might not associate with travel. Podcast guests have included successful artists, entertainers, chefs, CEOs, athletes, entrepreneurs, and travel experts. The truth is I know on paper I have very little in common with some of the guests I interview, but when we talk about travel, we bond. Some of the notable LA residents I’ve had as podcast guests include Danni Washington, Ruben Rojas, Laura Grier, Phil Rosenthal, and Selema Masekela.

I believe everyone has a travel story that has impacted their life and career. I have become obsessed to hear inspiring travel stories and share them with the Travel With Meaning community through the podcast and live event series. With the mission to encourage, inspire and support travel adventures. Traveling and travel stories are healing and after the past few years, a little refresh and recharge are needed.

One thing we have hopefully learned from the pandemic is not to take things for granted. Having an appreciation for being able to move freely in your city, state, or country gives new meaning to what travel means. During the pandemic, I went back through all of my interviews and recognized common themes guests shared are part of their meaningful adventures. Categorizing these themes into principles and have started to offer a course, How To Travel With Meaning. Utilizing the stories shared by our guests as a foundation to help course participants identify their meaningful adventures with an understanding of how to replicate that in the future. Having more meaningful travels creates a more fulfilling journey, You can find out more about the How To Travel Meaning at travelwithmeaning.com/workshop

The Travel With Meaning podcast is available on all major streaming platforms. My mom and I would appreciate it if you gave us a follow (@Travelwithmeaning) and joined us on the journey!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I grew up on the Westside and currently reside in Santa Monica. I am an outdoorsy person so most of my time would be spent outside in nature paired with good local food!
Sharing with visitors I start my LA adventure usually going for a morning dip in the ocean at Lifeguard Tower 10 and coffee after. Since moving to Santa Monica my go-to coffee spot has been La La Land Kind Café. They have good coffee and tasty bites an even better mission to hire foster youth and normalize kindness.

A fun relaxing time is chilling in Palisades Park as it boasts great scenery and people-watching. Having a picnic with yummy sandwiches from Bay Cities a long-time Santa Monica Italian deli. I could eat the eggplant parmesan sandwich all day!

Next would be a bike ride as I lead a beach bike tour along the Santa Monica bike path. This could be one of the greatest beach bike rides in the world with so much unique history. Then off to brunch at Back to the Beach enjoying the beach vibes with tables in the sand and tasty food. Right next door is the Annenberg Beach house and the original site of Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst Mansion, which was later the Sand and Sea Club where 90210 and Save By The Bell were filmed. We then would ride our bikes a little north along the bike path right before Temescal where the Baywatch TV series was shot. As a kid growing up nearby I would spend every day in the summer at that part of the beach.

I also love taking out-of-town friends for a hike at Will Rogers. Hiking in LA is such a thing, and it always surprises how few people go to Will Rogers, hopefully, I didn’t just ruin that. Beautiful and manageable hiking trails with gorgeous sweeping views of the city, ocean, and ridiculous homes.

Another fun day is driving up the coast to Zuma Beach with a hidden gem right there: the Sunset Room for brunch. Great views of the beach sitting outside for a bite. Walk on the beach and swim in the ocean. Then on the way back stopping at Rosenthal Tasting Room for a few glasses of wine and then walked next door to the Reel Inn. The Reel Inn is not a secret spot but could be the BEST seafood in town with a local beachy vibe. Grab some food, and drinks and watch the sunset drop over the ocean. Another perfect day in LA!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to my mom, Linda Schibel. Both my parents have always encouraged me, and for that, I’m grateful. It was my mom who instilled wanderlust in me at a young age. She would make a yearly ski trip with a group of girlfriends and also went on a safari in Africa when I was a sophomore in high school. I thought it was the coolest thing. From traveling the silk road in China to trips to Israel, Paris, Scotland, and our family cabin in Northern Minnesota, mom loves a good adventure, and as she says, “I’m packed and always ready to go.”
On my first major international trip at eighteen, I had a real snafu upon arriving in London for a three-week tour. I arrived two days early, and there was no tour to meet me. I found my way to the hotel the group was set to stay at, but they had no room for me. By the time I figured out how to call my parents collect from England and balled to my mom on the phone, her Yoda-like message of “Not everything goes as planned, but that’s part of the adventure, and now you have a story to tell. Everything will be ok.” She was right, and that trip transformed me.

Thanks for always encouraging, supporting, and inspiring me to travel, mom!

Website: Travelwithmeaning.com

Instagram: @Travelwithmeaning @schibel

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelschibel and https://www.linkedin.com/in/Travelwihmeaning

Twitter: @schibel @twmworldwide

Facebook: @travelwithmeaning

Youtube: youtube.com/Travelwithmeaning

Other: Tik Tok @Travelwithmeaning

Image Credits
Photo credits in the fishing boat: Travel Manitoba in Bermuda: Bermuda Tourism All other images are courtesy of Travel With Meaning